A MAN was sexually assaulted by another man on a towpath near Abingdon Road yesterday.

At about 2pm the victim, in his thirties, was walking with another man along the towpath close to Folly Bridge and the Head of the River pub.

They walked past a man who shouted homophobic abuse at them.

When the pair tried to walk away the attacker approached the victim and touched him in an inappropriate manner. 

Police say the offender is white, in his forties, around 5ft 10ins to 6ft tall, of skinny build wearing several layers of clothing and a blue coat with short, greyish hair. He is described as looking dirty and dishevelled, which police said meant he could be homeless.

Police spokeswoman Francine Rodrigues  said the attack was reported by the victim and that there is no CCTV footage available of the attack.

She added the offender was a stranger to the victim.

PC Alex Shepherd said: “This incident happened at a busy time of day with people around, including several on bikes. There was some shouting, which would have drawn attention.

“If you witnessed this incident, please do contact police as your information would be of assistance to the investigation.”

Our top stories



Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.